‘Supersex’ Review: Netflix Goes Halfway With New Porn Star Biopic
Supersex, a new Netflix limited series inspired by the real life of Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi (Alessandro Borghi in his adult version), had two, equally-important tasks. Due to the subject matter, there is an inherent level of sexiness that is to be expected from the show, so that it’s able to reach a certain level of believability. But, even if this is a show about the porn industry, it is still supposed to be a narrative series — and therefore, an underlying storyline where we care about the characters and are able to relate to their struggles is also somewhat expected.
Francesca Manieri created and wrote all seven episodes of Supersex, which feels like it only passed the minimum requirements to pass said qualifiers. Most of the narrative is centered around Rocco and the people around him, especially his half-brother Tommaso (Adriano Giannini). Their relationship is what haunts Rocco throughout the entire duration of the series, from the very first scene to the very last. He is the one who indirectly pushes Rocco into the sex world, but then tries to push him away from it — not because of its dangers and out of protection, but probably because he’s jealous he’s becoming what he never was able to be.
Tommaso settled down with Lucia (Jasmine Trinca), his youth love and a woman he aspires more to control than to love. Whatever that means for Rocco, living under that same household for the majority of the story, is something the show will start to unfold as it goes on. But the soon-to-be pornstar and the small town’s It girl engage on a will-they-won’t-they that feels a bit unsatisfying for the most part. In a similar way, Rocco has some unfinished business with the first woman he laid with, Sylvie (Jade Pedri). This is one of the most sincere relationships in the entire series, but one that ultimately could have been a lot more developed. She is an aspiring musician who also is intrigued by the sexual Paris underworld that Rocco opens up for her. That alone should have set up a spin-off series, yet she’s treated as just another character with a recurring, minor role in most episodes.
(L to R) Saul Nanni as Rocco in episode 102 of Supersex, courtesy of Netflix. Cr. Lucia Iuorio/Netflix © 2024
Supersex starts in 2004 when Rocco announces his retirement and flashes back to his pre-adolescent days to tell the origin story of a real-life (sex) superhero, which is exactly how he sees himself. The real triumph of the show is to focus on what held Rocco’s progression in the industry back: his own head, and more specifically, the childhood traumas that still ghost him wherever he goes. There are particularly intense scenes between Rocco and Tommaso that had me on the edge of my seat, and for once, the show does exploit this subplot to its fullest. However, this isn’t exactly a new storyline, and though Manieri does her best with it, creating such interesting dynamics between Rocco and Tommaso, especially once we get past the first couple of episodes, the truth is that the visibility aspect that the 80s porn industry could have given the series feels like it was done halfheartedly.
Rocco’s relationship with his mom is also a goldmine of emotional damage. At a young age, he lost a younger brother who was also his mom’s favorite. That represents a point of no return for the entire family, with the mother being the most traumatized of all. But there were already serious divisions, as Tommaso comes from a different mother, something that everyone in town keeps reminding him of. In everyone’s eyes, he was never enough. In Rocco’s mother’s, it depends on the day — she’s a rather unpredictable character, which sets up great drama all around. Tommaso is also haunted by that feeling of never belonging, and though Rocco is always there for him, sometimes being the closest means he will be the one on the receiving end of Tommaso’s ire.
(L to R) Jade Pedri as Sylvie, Saul Nanni as Rocco in episode 101 of Supersex, courtesy of Netflix. Cr. Lucia Iuorio/Netflix © 2024
Overall, the series felt like an interesting concept that wasn’t brave enough to go all the way. This applies to all aspects, from underexplored narratives, to discontinued storylines, to even missed opportunities like being tongue-in-cheek with hard cuts in the middle of a sex scene. It’s also set back by the fact that most of its characters are prototypes of what you’d expect people in porn to be, from the star with childhood trauma that pushed him to make his family angry, to Moana (Gaia Messerklinger), the archetypical 80s porn star that is all façade but deep down, would rather be anywhere else and doing anything else. It even applies to having an Italian restaurant in Paris run by a shady Corsican businessman.
Supersex is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
